I will be going to England with my daughter in March and Italy wiht my husband in Sept and on both trips we will be using the trains. We all travel with a large rolling duffle as our suitcase. I have read many threads on fodors about the luggage areas and still have ?'s. On one thread i read that you have to watch the luggage area in Italy when the train stops because that is when it is most likely to be stolen. I guess i assumed someone from the train would be "watching" the luggage. I was hoping to keep our luggage with us to avoid that. Is there any seating that would allow for that. Any advice about train travel with luggage would be very helpful. Sure makes for a lousy trip to be relieved of your belongings! I have been to Europe before but never used the train and have been very lucky, no pickpockets, credit card fraud, etc that i have been reading on the boards. We have never been to Italy. Thank you for your help.

Trains in the UK usually have luggage racks above the seats, along with storage space for larger items at either end of the carriage. If the luggage fits overhead, great; otherwise put it at the end of the carriage and get a seat facing that end of the carriage.

The seat facing your luggage may be at the other end of the carriage if the seats are in rows as on an aircraft (the seats face the middle of the carriage, so one half face one way and the other half faces the other), or if there are tables you might get one closer (as there will be seats on both sides of the tables facing towards the table).

Unless you find a train where you can check your luggage and receive a receipt for it (and I don't know if they do this at all anymore) you are responsible for your own things. We train rarely and always go first class because there are fewer seats and so its easier to keep your luggage with you (bag on overhead rack and tote or purse under your feet). Another thing to keep in mind is meals. If its a long trip and you will be using the dining car be sure that there are not any stops while you will be away from your luggage. (I know some people who eat in shifts so someone is always with the luggage - but we just make sure there are no stops - figuring if the luggage is missing we can search the train.)

So far as the UK is concerned:

- luggage space is frequently inadequate. If you have bulky luggage, you will almost certainly be sitting some way from it
- whether our thieves are lazy, or our passengers just naturally honest, getting your luggage nicked is just about the last thing you need to worry about on a train (or, BTW, on the Tube)

Millions of people in the UK take luggage on trains every day. I've never heard of any of them getting their luggage stolen (pickpocketing on the Tube is a different matter).

Just don't worry about it. You're infinitely more likely to have a car accident on the way to your US airport - or to be struck by lightning.

Hi smack

The Italian trains have both aircraft style seating (with a center aisle, aircraft-size overhead luggage racks and a luggage compartment at one end)and compartment style with two facing rows in a small room. These have larger luggage racks that will accomodate your duffles.

Many people have recommended bringing a small bicycle lock to attach your luggage to the rack in the luggage compartment.

On our recent trip to Italy we brought one. Didn't use it.

We kept careful watch over our luggage. We saw no one who seemed to be interested in stealing luggage.

Luggage does get stolen, but considering how many people are traveling on trains at any one time, it is a rare event.

Several years ago I bought one of those wire cable combination bicycle locks. It makes a big loop so you can wind in through the handles of your luggage and fasten it to the rack or a pole. These locks are small and lightweight so easy to throw in your luggage. But I have developed a total lack of fear about having my luggage stolen on a train and can't remember the last time I actually used the thing. If it will give you a little peace of mind, the $5 or so investment will be well worth it.

We use the same kind of lock and loop it through our suitcase handles and a bar to keep them all together as much as to avoid theft. When people get on and off, luggage can get shifted--and yours can end up being moved from where you put it. One caution: if you do use a lock, be sure to get it off well before the train stops, especially if it isn't your final destination. Sometimes you have to be really quick getting off.

I sure wish it was possible to edit a post after it's up! I meant to say "if it isn't the final stop for the train."

On the Eurostar trains in Italy, the ones I've always been in have pairs of seats facing each other with a little bar in between them (imagine it like 4 people sitting at a table, just that the table is normal length but only a foot wide). Then the whole train car is filled with these paired combinations. There is a large space left in the "A" shaped spot where the seats are back to back - my suitcase is probably 80 x 50 cm (large) and it fits there just fine. We've always been able to put our luggage there with no problems (even when the trains are full).

I'm with Patrick on this one. I throw my luggage at the end of the rail car with careless abandon.

I've taken multiple train trips the last few years in Europe, mostly France, and never had a problem.

I do keep my smaller carry-on with me. The one with the camera, film, prescription Rx, travel reservation printouts, etc. The only thing in the suitcase at the end of the car is dirty clothes and an extra pair of shoes.

If someone stole it, I'd have to do laundry in my hotel room at night and go shopping. There are worse things in life.

Hi - Here's another reason for watching your luggage during stops: our luggage was in front of someone elses. When they got off of the train, they set our case off the train (so they could get to theirs, I guess.) If my DH had not been watching, the train would have left with the case on the platform - with no malice intended.
Large rolling duffels sound a bit large (IMHO) for train travel. But it is "schlepper's choice." Have a great trip! CJ